CHARLESTOWN Nevis (February 26, 2009) -- Construction of the multi million dollar Nevis Performing Arts and Conference Centre at Pinneys Estate is expected to commence later this year.
Minister of Culture in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) Hon. Hensley Daniel made the announcement on Thursday, when he was presented with the project’s complete bid package - bid documents, architectural drawings, plumbing, electrical, structural and air condition specifications - from Mr. John Baker of IXI Design N.V. Architects based in St. Maarten.
Mr. Daniel explained that the bid process had already commenced and the deadline was March 31, 2009. He said it was agreed that a regional contractor would be engaged to manage the project but would in turn hire local contractors and labourors to work on the project.
“I must point out that we will get work for local contractors but the overall responsibility for the project will be a larger regional contractor.
“We expect the bidding process to be completed by the end of March and the work on the building should start by July,” he said.
The 18sq. feet multi purpose facility, will be funded by the Government of Taiwan through a USM$1 grant and a USM$2 loan.
When completed, the facility will accommodate a 450 seat theatre; a conference centre which will comprise of two conference rooms each with seating capacity for 100 persons. The building will also include a dance room, music room with practise and storage space and an open courtyard for open air events.
Meantime, Mr. Baker said his company looked forward to the start of the project and described it as an exciting one, which would provide a building that Nevis would be proud of.
He explained that the design stage of the project had taken longer than planned but noted that it was a complex process.
He said his Company had worked together with a firm of architects and engineers on more than one island. Brisbane and Associates on the architectural part; Brisbane McGrath Engineering for the structural engineering. And for mechanical, electrical, air conditioning they consulted their engineers in Trinidad.
“So of course a lot of work has had to be coordinated between the four consultant companies in order to produce this final documentation. We have a total of 150 pages of drawings for this project together with about 450 pages of written specifications so you can see that it is a lot of work to bring this together,” he said.
With regard to the decision to engage a regionally based company with experience in large buildings to manage the contract, he said the building was fairly complex and needed a company that could manage the contract professionally but he was confident that the labour and skill needed would be available through local subcontractors based on his observations.
Also present was Chairman of the Nevis Development Cultural Foundation Mr. Halsted “Sooty” Byron.
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